Robert Kubica Could Become Pirelli’s Test Driver In 2013
It has been speculated that former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica could well find a route back to the F1 grid by becoming Pirelli’s test driver next season, after the Polish driver was severely injured in a horrific rallying incident back in February last year. Kubica has recently returned to racing in rallying, but still eyes a future return to Formula 1.
These rumors come as Pirelli’s current test driver Jaime Alguersuari looks set to announce plans of a return to a full-time drive in Formula 1, most likely with either Force India or Caterham should either of their current drivers move come seasons end. This would open the door to Robert Kubica to become the new Pirelli test driver, especially as Pirelli currently use the 2010 Renault F1 car which the Pole last raced in Formula 1.
“We are more likely to work with Robert [Kubica] in rallying I guess, rather than F1, but we will see.” Explained Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery, on the possibility of the Italian tyre company working with the Polish driver. “I haven’t spoken to Robert for some time and we are working on a few projects that might involve him, so it might well be a possibility. I don’t know if he is able to do it at the moment. But he is that type of person if physically he could get back in, then maybe doing a year with us would put him in a good situation to come back in in 2014. It would be wonderful if we could do that. We want to continue our success level of helping drivers into F1. After an F1 drive, the Pirelli test deal has to be the best drive in the world.”
Robert Kubica was widely regarded as one of the most talented F1 drivers in the field back in 2011 prior to his incident, which has put a halt on his progress in the sport. Should Kubica finally return to the wonderful world of Formula 1 with Pirelli, his duties as their test driver would include days testing around numerous tracks such as Jerez and Spa-Francorchamps as Pirelli strive to continue manufacturing their highly controversial P Zero and Cinturato tyre range.
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Sauber Confident Ahead Of The Canadian Grand Prix
After Sauber unfortunately failed to score any points at the Monaco Grand Prix last time out, both their drivers are now eager to score high amounts of points at the Canadian Grand Prix. This will be Sergio Perez’s first race at Montreal, after the Mexican driver failed to take part in last years race due to repercussions from his heavy incident at last years Monaco Grand Prix.
It was at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve that Sauber (then known as BMW) took their first and as of yet only F1 victory in their long and colorful 20 year history in the sport. Poland’s Robert Kubica lead home a BMW 1-2 ahead of Germany’s Nick Heidfeld and the Red Bull of David Coulthard, only a year after Kubica survived a horrific incident at the same circuit. Since then, Sauber have failed to score a single World Championship point in Canada, a fact both Kobayashi and Perez will hope to end come race day.
Kubica takes victory in 2008 – Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG
“At the circuit in Montreal there are long straights but also slow corners.” Said Kamui Kobayashi, “I think our car seems to be okay for this. I hope there we can have the performance we want to see. We shall have to see what we can do, but I think Montreal is one of the places where we can be strong. I really like the city and the track, although, unfortunately, I have never had a great result there. This year I want to make up for this. Our car is getting better and I’m looking forward to the Canadian Grand Prix.”
Due to the medium downforce requirement of the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Sauber are also bringing a new rear wing to the Canadian Grand Prix along with some minor modifications. With Sauber undeniably being struck by misfortune at times throughout the season, the Swiss outfit will be eager to find some luck as they aim for a competitive Canadian Grand Prix.
Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG
Vitaly Petrov Hits Out At Renault
Russian F1 star Vitaly Petrov has hit out against Renault (now Lotus), stating the team treated him like a child throughout the 2010 season. Petrov made the big leap from GP2 to Formula 1 in 2010, after finishing the previous season as the series runner-up with Barwa Addax.
When Petrov first made his debut on the F1 scene, he was undeniably the No.2 driver to the much experienced Polish driver Robert Kubica. However, towards the end of the season Petrov began to show his potential, especially after his superb drive at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In 2011, Vitaly Petrov was thrown in at the deep end with Renault, as Robert Kubica was severely injured during his rally crash. This made Petrov the unofficial No.1 driver, with the much experienced Nick Heidfeld alongside him for the opening few months of the season. Petrov started the 2011 season strongly, with his first and as of yet only podium with 3rd at the Australian Grand Prix. After that, the team gradually faded away and entered a grueling song-long battle with Force India.
For 2012, the Russian was replaced at the team as Lotus selected two new drivers’ to head their team in Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. With Petrov now racing alongside Kovalainen at Caterham, he can now express his frustrations at driving with the Enstone-based team.
“In 2010, I had some problems with my team, fighting with Mark Slade [Petrov’s race engineer]. He’s a very clever engineer, but it was not a good relationship. They put him up high because he had 20 years of experience and you are the child. If he told you to jump through a window, you must jump through a window,” said Petrov in an interview with AutoSport. “I respected him and listened to him all the time and jumped when he said. But I did the wrong thing. I had my feelings and I should have been more aggressive, but I was afraid I would say something wrong.”
Vitaly Petrov criticized the team after last seasons Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Russian TV, due to the teams apparent lack of lack of car development. Afterwards the Russian apologized to the team, yet the writing was already on the wall for him as he was replaced shortly after seasons end as 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen joined the team.
Petrov will be hoping that this new chapter in his F1 career with Caterham can be a successful one, and that he can become the teams first driver to finish in the points in 2012.
Vitaly Petrov Replaces Jarno Trulli At Caterham
It has been announced today that Russian Formula 1 driver, Vitaly Petrov, has replaced Jarno Trulli at Caterham. This therefore means there will be no Italian driver on the 2012 F1 grid, the first time this has occurred since 1970.
This has ended several weeks of speculation, where Vitaly Petrov and his manager, Oksana Kosachenko, have been voicing their hopes of making it onto the 2012 grid regularly throughout the winter period.
Vitaly Petrov will team-mate Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen at Caterham this coming season, with Dutch driver Giedo Van Der Garde continuing his reserve driver duties throughout 2012. This move leaves Jarno Trulli out of Formula 1, with the Italian driver contesting 252 races since his debut at the 1997 Australian Grand Prix with Minardi.
“This is a very exciting day for me.” Explained Vitaly Petrov, “I would like to thank Tony, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin for giving me the chance to join a team that made its F1 debut at the same time as me, and has grown from one of the new teams to a serious force for future honors. The passion and spirit that Tony and the whole team have to keep moving forwards is infectious, and I am honored to be able to join them and play my part in helping the team mount a serious challenge to the teams ahead in 2012 and for many seasons to come.
“I have been training hard all winter and am ready to get back into the cockpit and go to work.” Continued the Russian, “From what I have seen already, our new car is another good step forward from 2011 and now I cannot wait to see how it feels when we get to Barcelona. I would also like to take this chance to thank all my fans and partners for their support and their patience.”
Vitaly Petrov made his debut at the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix for Renault, and last season headed the team with the vacancy of Robert Kubica after his injury. He scored his first, and as of yet only, podium last season in Australia finishing 3rd. For 2012, he and Bruno Senna were replaced at the rebranded team by returning World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean.
At one stage it looked as though Petrov would miss out on an opportunity to race in 2012. However after a lengthy wait for sponsors, Petrov has finally secured a drive for the coming season, at the expense of the only Italian driver remaining on the Formula 1 grid.
“I want to take this chance to thank Tony, Kamarudin, SM Nasarudin, Riad, Mike and everyone in the team for the two seasons we had together.” Said Jarno Trulli, “From zero we built up and established a solid F1 team. I’m really proud to have been part of it. I understand the decision the team has made and I want to wish to the whole team the very best of luck for the season ahead.”
Vitaly Petrov will get his first taste of the Caterham CT01 at Barcelona next week, as the second pre-season test gets underway at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Jules Bianchi To Race In FR3.5 For Tech 1 Racing
After joining Force India as their test and reserve driver for 2012, Jules Bianchi has now officially been announced as a driver for Tech 1 Racing in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, or World Series by Renault as it’s also known. The Frenchman is currently testing for Force India at Jerez in Spain.
Last season Jules Bianchi drove in the GP2 Series for Lotus ART, winning one race at British Grand Prix in the Feature Race. Throughout the season, Bianchi had various other successful results which included three second place finishes and two third place finishes.
Moving from Ferrari to Force India for 2012, Bianchi still remains on the Ferrari Young Drivers’ Programme. His move to Force India is set to allow him the opportunity to gain valuable F1 experience by competing in various Friday morning sessions throughout the 2012 season.
With this in mind, a return to GP2 in 2012 would make things difficult for the Frenchman, as the GP2 Series shadows Formula 1 throughout the season. This would therefore make racing in Friday practice sessions for Force India as well as racing in GP2 on the same day highly difficult to achieve.
“I am very happy to be driving for Tech 1 Racing in the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 Series” said Jules Bianchi, who is testing for Force India at Jerez this week. “This year is very important for my career and, as a young driver, it’s crucial to have the opportunity to race in such a competitive environment. I will do my best to help the team to achieve its goals this season. I also would like to thank Scuderia Ferrari and Sahara Force India F1 for allowing me to do so.”
The Formula Renault 3.5 Series has produced many Formula 1 drivers’ in recent years, including Fernando Alonso, Heikki Kovalainen, Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel, Jaime Alguersuari, Kamui Kobayashi, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.
Raikkonen: “DRS Is Ridiculous”
Kimi Raikkonen has spoken his mind about DRS, stating that passing is no longer an art in Formula 1. The Drag Reduction System was introduced last season to improve overtaking, and although it visually aided overtaking on track, there’s no denying it has turned overtaking into a mere formality and not a hard fought battle like the past.
The returning World Champion stopped watching Formula 1 when he left after the 2009 season, and instead attempted a career in the World Rally Championship as well as several races in Nascar. It was attempting Nascar where Raikkonen re-ignited his spark to contest races once again, and coupled with the prolonged absence of Robert Kubica signed to replace him for 2012.
It was last season that Kimi Raikkonen began watching Formula 1 races again on TV, and it was watching these races when he got his first taste of how the DRS effected the course of a race.
“The way the DRS wings work is for me a little ridiculous, overtaking is not really a great art anymore.” Explained the 2007 World Champion, after two days behind his 2012 Lotus, “You just put the wing down and go past easily, the guy in front can’t really do anything. But I agree that at least it makes the show better.”
Yesterday Kimi Raikkonen topped the timing sheets in Day 1 of the first pre-season test at Jerez. Today he ended up 5th after a day which saw him take several trips into the gravel trap, however the Finn remains happy about his return to F1 so far.
Lotus Aiming For 4th In Constructors’ Championship
With Lotus launching their new E20 car earlier today, team co-owner Gerard Lopez has announced that he believes his team can achieve 4th place in this seasons Constructors’ Championship, seemingly leap-frogging Mercedes or even possibly other big teams throughout the season.
With the Enstone-based squad suffering various setbacks during the last few seasons, including Robert Kubica’s near-fatal Rally crash as well as the failure of their exhaust design to work last season, Lopez is confident they can put these setbacks behind them and start afresh in 2012.
With the team winning the 2005 and 2006 World Titles’, they have fallen down the F1 pecking order in recent years, falling to 8th in the 2009 Constructors’ Championship before returning to 5th in the last two years.
With Lotus completely changing their driver line-up for 2012, bringing in 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and reigning GP2 Champion Romain Grosjean, Lotus are confident they can eventually return to the top of the F1 pecking order.
“The hopes are to be able to get one season together and do what we were expecting last year,” Said Gerard Lopez on their 2012 expectations. “We hope to have a strong car, and have strong drivers, one of which is of course an ex-world champion. We hope to bring the car up to the front of the pack and probably try to aim for fourth as a reasonable goal for this season. We’re obviously extremely proud that finally the Lotus name is a clear concept for everybody in Formula 1 now.”
Pre-season testing gets underway on Tuesday, 40 days before the season opening Australian Grand Prix, a race which Kimi Raikkonen won in 2007 for Ferrari.
Ferrari Set To Assist With Robert Kubica’s Return
After Robert Kubica suffered another blow to his rehabilitation after falling on ice, some may well have been forgiven for counting him out of a return to Formula 1, let alone with a superpower like Ferrari.
However there has been rumors circulating today that Ferrari could well assist the Pole in making a return to Formula 1, fueling the fact that Kubica could well become a Ferrari driver in the future.
After Robert Kubica suffered a near fatal accident in a Rally crash last February, many believed he would never return to Formula 1 again. However both himself and his team at the time, Renault, remained confident he’d return in the not too distant future. However, after informing Renault (Lotus) that he would be unfit to race in the coming 2012 season, ties between Kubica and Lotus fell apart, allowing Ferrari to move in and snap up the Polish driver.
If Robert Kubica is fit enough come June, Ferrari look set to test the Pole in a Ferrari F10, allowing Kubica to get his first taste of Formula 1 since the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The car in question will be fitted with a 1.6-liter V6 engine which will make its first appearance in Formula 1 in 2014, thus allowing Ferrari and Kubica to test for as long as necessary outside the current testing ban.
This potential test alone could indicate if Kubica is still able to drive a Formula 1 car in anger, or whether his injuries sustained in the rally crash were too severe to allow him to return to a sport.
Jules Bianchi Becomes Force India Reserve Driver
French Formula 1 fans will have more to cheer about today as it has been confirmed that French driver Jules Bianchi has become the new Force India reserve driver, a move which will see him partake in at least nine Friday practice sessions over the season.
Jules Bianchi has been a member of Ferrari for the last few years and has recently become the leading candidate as a potential replacement for Felipe Massa, joining Sergio Perez, Paul Di Resta and Robert Kubica in a long list of drivers potentially set to replace the Brazilian.
With the Frenchman joining Force India as their official reserve driver, it has been confirmed that Bianchi will remain part of the Ferrari Young Drivers’ Programme, even though he will take part in at least nine Friday practice sessions over the course of the 2012 season for Force India.
Last season, Bianchi finished 3rd in the GP2 Series, racing for Lotus ART and winning one race at the British Grand Prix along the way. He also competed in last seasons GP2 Asia Series, again for Lotus ART, finishing as the runner up behind Romain Grosjean who incidentally is racing for Lotus in Formula 1 this season.
Jules Bianchi will be hoping that history repeats itself this season, as the last three Force India reserve drivers have gone on to pick up a full time race seat in F1 the following season with Tonio Liuzzi, Paul Di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg all eventually becoming F1 drivers after being a Force India reserve driver.
Jules Bianchi becomes the fourth French driver in F1 for 2012, joining fellow countryman Romain Grosjean, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic.
Bruno Senna Confirmed At Williams
Brazilian Formula 1 driver Bruno Senna has been officially confirmed as team-mate to Pastor Maldonado at Williams for the coming 2012 season, leaving Rubens Barrichello seemingly without a drive.
Bruno Senna began his F1 career with HRT in 2010, racing alongside three different team-mates through what was a vey tough debut season. In 2011 he eventfully replaced Nick Heidfeld at Renault, with Heidfeld initially replacing the injured Robert Kubica at the start of the season.
Bruno, the nephew of the great Ayrton Senna, was then left without a drive for 2012 when Renault (later rebranded as Lotus for the 2012 season) signed 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and reigning GP2 Champion Romain Grosjean, leaving both their 2011 drivers searching for a drive for 2012.
Initially it was believed Adrian Sutil was poised to become the second Williams driver, but coupled with his court case and a potential lack of funds, Petrov or Senna became the two likely drivers ready to pounce. With Vitaly Petrov rumored with a link to potentially replacing Jarno Trulli at Caterham or at least becoming their new reserve driver, Bruno Senna emerged as the definite candidate.
Bruno Senna brought long-time sponsor Embratel with him to Williams, sealing the deal with the cash strapped team who are currently recovering from their worst season in their long and colorful career. With this in mind, Senna is adamant that money and his numerous sponsors weren’t the main factors that secured him the drive, contrary to many who believed Senna wouldn’t have got the job if he had no sponsors and no money to bring to the team.
Williams have carried the Senna name on their cars since that fateful 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, but for the first time in 17 years the Senna name is returning to race for Williams in 2012.
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